Program Information

Educational Objective

The program consists of three years (Biology majors) or two years (Allied Health Majors) study at Millersville followed by a 19-month professional education/training phase cosponsored by UPMC Pinnacle Lancaster. At the conclusion of their studies, students are awarded the BS in Biology, Respiratory Therapy Option, or BS in Allied Health Technologies, depending on which curriculum is chosen. They are immediately eligible to sit for the Therapist Multiple Choice Exam (TMC). Persons already holding baccalaureate degrees may apply for admission into the professional phase of the program as certification students.

Program Goals

"To prepare graduates with demonstrated competence in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains of respiratory care practice as performed by registered respiratory therapists (RRTs).”
"To prepare leaders for the field of respiratory care by including curricular content that includes objectives related to acquisition of skills in one or more of the following: management, education, research, AND/OR advanced clinical practice (which may include an area of clinical specialization).”

Employment

Students are encouraged to begin seeking a position three months prior to graduation. Never has a graduate of this program been unsuccessful in securing employment following graduation. Often they have several offers from which to choose.

Our last class that graduated reported that their anticipated first-year earnings ranged from $47,860 to $53,040 with shift differentials and weekends ranging from 10 – 30 % above baseline pay. Sign on bonuses have been up to $15,000.

Credentialing Exams

There are two exams for respiratory care practitioners. The first is the TMC exam which has a low and a high cut score. Achieving the low cut score awards the CRT credential and the state license. Achieving the high cut score allows the graduate to sit for the Clinical Simulation Exam (CSE). Passing the TMC at the high cut score and the CSE earns the graduate the RRT credential.

For the previous three years, our program has had a 100 % pass rate for both the TMC exam and the CSE exam. Our graduates continually perform above the national pass rate on both exams.